SUPPLY CHAIN ARTICLES

  • The Cell-Free Revolution: Breaking The Plasmid DNA Bottleneck

    I was excited to be given the opportunity to sit down with Jodi Barrientos, CEO, Ribbon Bio, to learn more about the current state of the synthetic DNA space. In the following Q&A, Barrientos and I discuss some of the synthetic DNA industry’s biggest goals and the challenges that stand in the way of bringing synthetic plasmids more commonly into the mRNA development paradigm. 

  • The mRNA Supply Chain Revolution: Materials, Methods, And Momentum

    mRNA innovation now hinges as much on manufacturing materials as on molecular design, with novel inputs shaping performance, cost, and scalability. As these less-mature materials move rapidly into production, strategic material selection and supplier alignment are becoming critical to manufacturing resilience and long-term success.

  • Cultivating A Thriving mRNA Ecosystem: Key Initiatives & Future Directions

    Overall, I felt that the following initiatives/talking points were demonstrative of the types of creativity and symbiosis that we will need much more of in the near and long-term to foster a healthy and fruitful RNA ecosystem. 

  • The Expanding Patent Landscape For RNA-Based Therapeutics

    The COVID-19 pandemic thrust RNA-based therapeutics into the spotlight. Before that, only a handful had received regulatory approval. Why are RNA-based therapeutics seeing more patent activity now and how should biotech companies mitigate patent risks? Attorneys from Neal Gerber Eisenberg share their insights.

  • The RNA Therapeutics Supply Chain: A Platform of Relationships

    Conversations digging into RNA-specific sourcing considerations have been few and far between. Enter Sanofi's Greg Troiano. Together, we delved into the nuances, challenges, and opportunities for growth that currently exist within the mRNA drug substance and drug product (i.e., mRNA-LNP) raw material sourcing worlds.

  • ARW's ATMP Manufacturing Must-Reads (ST. PATRICK'S DAY EDITION!)

    Day-in and day-out, I write, read, listen to, and watch as much content as I can about CGT and RNA therapy manufacturing, in particular, and/or other ATMP industry-related topics that you should at least be aware of in the manufacturing facility. Once a month, I compile the articles and industry updates I think are most worthy of your time into an unconventional roundup article.

SUPPLY CHAIN VIDEOS

As our molecules grow more complicated, so, too, does the supply chain. Here, Advancing RNA Live speakers Khaled Yamout & Camp4’s Satya Kuchimanchi talk through how this growth challenges our understanding of raw material quality and how sponsors can better assess their suppliers.

Advancing RNA Live panelists Tyler Goodwin and April Sena start off our latest discussion on technology innovations in mRNA production by surveying the current manufacturing process for plasmid production, highlighting where they’ve seen advancements and what biotechs need to consider to obtain plasmids of the appropriate quality for mRNA production.

In this opening Advancing RNA Live clip, panelists Max De Long, April Sena, and Venkat Krishnamurthy share the biggest scientific and manufacturing breakthrough made in the world of gRNA production over the past year. 

In this opening Advancing RNA Live clip, NanoVation Therapeutics’ Dominik Witzigmann and Stealth Co’s John Zuris share the scientific advancements they’ve been watching most keenly in the LNP space, as well as some of the evolutions they’re seeing in the overall quality of our RNA-LNP products.

ARTICLES, APP NOTES, CASE STUDIES, & WHITE PAPERS

  • The story of how Moderna brought one of the first mRNA vaccines to the market has all the makings of a legend we will pass down through generations. However, unlike the legends of King Arthur or The Fountain of Youth, we can celebrate that Moderna’s legendary journey was — and still is — real. Not only did the mRNA vaccines help return life to normal, but they also kickstarted the mRNA therapeutic renaissance we’re happily experiencing today.

  • Explore the past, present, and future of supply chain security, ways the biopharma industry can secure supply chains and minimize risks, and more.

  • Cryopreservation eliminates rigid timelines by decoupling collection from production, providing the flexibility needed to optimize facility use and stabilize advanced therapy supply chains.

  • Learn how optimized RNA polymerases enhance mRNA therapeutic quality and transcript integrity by increasing yield and capping efficiency while reducing double-stranded RNA impurities.

  • Learn about the first end-to-end cGMP facility that was developed for mRNA manufacturing to address the shortage of CDMOs and the inadequate and inefficient supply chain options for sourcing GMP mRNA.

  • Widespread application of pDNA in gene therapy is driving increased demand and as a response, plasmid manufacturing must become more efficient with improved productivity. Intensification of chromatographic steps can help address this demand and has led to an exploration of the use of convective media (monoliths, membranes, fibre based technologies).

  • We aim to highlight that commercially available LNP reagent mix, GenVoy-ILM, is an accessible and easy-to-use LNP formulation that allows for rapid preclinical development of RNA vaccines.